The best monitor light bars can brighten your workspace for easier reading without boosting the brightness of the screen, which can be taxing on your eyes. They also come in handy during video calls by providing the proper lighting when you’re in a dark setting. Light bars usually don’t take up much, or any, additional space on your desk and don’t cost a lot. And this is especially important if you’re using an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse with a computer, like a Chromebook, and thus have minimal desk space. As you work toward enhancing your home office with items that help increase productivity and better organize the space, we’ve researched to find the best monitor light bars for your home workspace.
Best for customization
LOFTER Screen Bar Light
Staff Pick
With three lighting modes, including warm, cool, and natural, and 10 brightness levels via a total of 84 LEDs, this light’s slim and sleek design keeps crucial desk space free. Thanks to the convenient angle, there’s no glare or shadows, and it’s easy to set up, plugging in via USB.
$36 at Amazon
Directed light
Baseus Screen Light Bar
The suspension and asymmetrical light design ensure this monitor light bar only lights up the keyboard and desktop. With touch control and three color temperature levels, it’s compatible with both straight and curved screens.
$38 at Amazon
Brand recognition
BenQ ScreenBar
From the trusted folks at BenQ, this LED task lamp offers auto-dimming, hue adjustment features and complies with the standard light levels set out by the American National Standard for office lighting. It’s USB-powered, and its asymmetrical design helps eliminate glare.
$110 at Amazon $139 at B&H Photo
Relieve eye fatigue
Quntis e-Reading Task Lamp
Ideal for lengthy on-screen reading sessions, this lamp employs a suspension design that prevents glare from reflecting off the screen. It also emits a soft light that won’t result in a flicker that can be annoying to your eyes, especially after poring over a 20-page report.
$31 at Amazon
Buy and try
Anpro USB E-Reading LED Task Lamp
You can get this task lamp for your monitor, which offers dimmable color, three color temperatures, easy installation, and reduced screen glare without worry, thanks to the generous 60-day unconditional refund policy. The company also offers a 365-day replacement service for added peace of mind.
$30 at Amazon
Versatile placement
WILLED Dimmable Touch Light Bar
This light bar doesn’t connect directly to your monitor like others but can adhere to any surface via the stick magnet mount. So you can affix it to your desk above the computer monitor or laptop, or use it in other settings, too, like by a makeup mirror or in a closet. Bonus: It comes with a built-in 2,000mAh rechargeable battery.
$20 at Amazon
Set the mood
Philips Hue Play Smart Light Bar
This one is ideal for large-sized monitors and entertainment experiences like gaming or watching movies, letting you set the mood by choosing from thousands of colors and shades to use for background ambiance. Plus, it’s voice-activated through Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri with the optional Philips Hue Hub.
$80 at Amazon $80 at Best Buy $80 at Crutchfield
Price is right
Tomons E-Reading Monitor Screenbar
You can’t go wrong with the price of this monitor screen bar that still features the essentials, including adjustable color temperature and no screen glare or flicker. It also has a built-in sensor that will automatically dim based on the lighting conditions with an auto-shutdown timer.
$24 at Amazon $24 at Walmart
Great for travel
Cyezcor LED Desk Lamp
Since this lamp doesn’t attach directly to the monitor but instead is placed beside and positioned toward the top of the screen, it’s easy to unplug and take with you between home and the office or while traveling.
$36 at Amazon
What should you look for in a monitor light bar?
A monitor light bar is ideal when you tend to work in front of a computer screen for hours on end, especially if you read a lot of text. It’s also good for gamers to help provide sufficient lighting that won’t strain their eyes. When making video calls, it can also come in handy to help you get the proper lighting. The best monitor light bars should offer adjustable angles, like all of these do, so you can situate it just right to avoid reflections and screen glare. The suspension design of the Quntis E-Reading Desk Lamp that keeps the light front and center is a good example.
You also want an adjustable color temperature because the type of lighting you need to read an e-book will be much different from what you need while playing a dark, action-packed video game. The LOFTER Screen Bar Lights excel in this category with three modes: warm, cool, or natural, with 10 brightness levels provided by 84 LEDs.
Finally, you want the design to match your specific needs. For example, if you’re going to use the light bar exclusively for a computer monitor that stays in one room, get one that affixes directly to it with a clamp design, like the Baseus Screen Light Bar that works with any size monitor, curved or straight.
However, if you want to be able to bring the light with you to use in a hotel room while traveling, or perhaps your teenage daughter wants to grab it to use at her makeup table, consider the Cyezcor LED Desk Lamp because it’s easy to move around and adjusts to the right angle.
